Apple’s EarPods built for durability, but audio quality is questionable

iFixit, Wirecutter, and (yes) Ars weigh in with EarPod observations.

The teardown experts at iFixit have given Apple's new $29 EarPods the typical autopsy treatment, declaring that "Apple had durability in mind" when designing the new headset. While the actual quality of the speakers remains up for debate, iFixit says Apple designed the EarPods to reduce strain on the wires and make them more resistant to water or sweat damage.

iFixit typically assigns a repairability rating to its product teardowns—you may remember the low repairability rating given to Apple's new Retina MacBook Pro. But this time around, the teardown team omitted a repairability rating for the EarPods because headphones in general are still typically seen as a throw-away item. "Repair is infeasible because sourcing parts is next to impossible, and it would be a tough sell to convince someone to take apart their EarPods—they're glued together, and will never be the same once taken apart," iFixit said via e-mail.

Still, the group noted that Apple removed its external microphone grate in order to improve the EarPods' resistance to water—a common problem for runners and other fitness geeks. (I have shorted out at least four different sets of Apple earbuds due to sweat). But when it comes to whether the EarPods live up to Apple's claim that they can perform on the same level as $100+ headphones, iFixit seems more reserved. "Call us skeptics if you'd like, but we're not sure how that could be accomplished with a single-driver setup," the group wrote.

I have been using Apple's new EarPods since the iPhone event last week. Up front: I am no audiophile. Still, I have to agree with the Wirecutter's assessment that while they do seem better than Apple's old earbuds, I wouldn't necessarily go out and drop $30 on a new pair. (EarPods will come with all new iPods or iPhones automatically, though). I have a pair of $10 earbuds with a mic for phone calls that I bought from Target, which appear to provide me roughly the same level of audio performance, so I'm not itching to replace every earbud set I own with EarPods.

Do any of you have EarPods now with observations to share? Let us know in the comments.

Music/sound quality has never been iPhone's strong point. I was vastly disappointed with my iPhone4S vs. my outgoing Droid X2 and actually carried both for a while just for a good listening experience on my Droid X2.

Was I the only one that hoped against hope that when rumors of apple creating new earphones started flying, that someone would FINALLY fix the issue of the earphones becoming a tangled mess whenever you pull them in and out?

Using...I dunno, magic?

I still want wires....wireless earphones have been horrible/heavy/stupid looking/fall out easy. I just don't want it to tangle...

I hate any headphone that has to go into the ear. If you want to appreciate music, buy a proper set of over the ear headphones.

Isn't that overkill for a phone/mp3 player?

Depends on portable player, the headphones, and the quality of your music.

And don't diss in-ear earbuds/monitors. I use a pair of custom molded JHAudio JH16 Pros and love every minute listening to them. Only problem I have is when I use them bare (aka, no external DAC/amp) with my MacBook Air, because it seems the Air has a really noisy DAC. Even my iPhone 4 is better, although I still prefer using a portable amp with it.

Why the hell would anyone pay Apple $29 for this crap when there are so many other options out there that are way better sounding (that is what you buy these for, right)? I just don't get the fanboy mindset of, "Apple made it so it must be the greatest thing ever! After all they're charging a lot more than anyone else!"

My HTC One S has simply amazing audio and the bundled `phones arent bad at all, might have something to do with HTC buying/licensing BEATS audio.

The HTC desire (previous phone) earbuds outlasted 3 pairs of apple iphone earbuds (sister and neice), daily drives (one bud in for taking calls if I had to, very rare), working in the garden, moving homes, daily shibari by the cable/pocket gnomes. Those only got replaced after I loaned them to another iphone user who liked them so much they promptly `forgot` to give them back (hai Anita!)

Amusingly, I turned up a pair of Sennheisers headphones (with boom mic) m@b 30s, that are at least 12 years old, the microphone remains crisp and clear (various folks on ars teamspeak want me to keep using it), and the audio output, whilst a little lacking in bass reflex, sounds perfectly good for voice comms. Plug em into my HTC One S and they work just fine, plug em into my sisters iphone 4 and they go very tinney and what little bass reflex there was, is inaudible. Tried them in my 16gb ipod touch (iphone 3 generation), and they behaved much like they did on the One S.

Call us skeptics if you'd like, but we're not sure how that could be accomplished with a single-driver setup," the group wrote.

I don't believe Apple's claims on the earpods but single driver designs can sound good. The Etymotic ER-4P is one example.

Those are 200+ dollar headphones though... the full quote

"But when it comes to whether the EarPods live up to Apple's claim that they can perform on the same level as $100+ headphones, iFixit seems more reserved. "Call us skeptics if you'd like, but we're not sure how that could be accomplished with a single-driver setup," "

And when you start comparing many single driver sub 100 pairs of headphones vs say... a Klipsch Image S4 the difference is night and day.

Music/sound quality has never been iPhone's strong point. I was vastly disappointed with my iPhone4S vs. my outgoing Droid X2 and actually carried both for a while just for a good listening experience on my Droid X2.

Are you able to tell them apart using the same exact earphones and the same exact song?

AFAIK, Apple has always used the best DAC available in their devices. Their earphones, OTOH, have never sounded that good -- Klipsch and RHA do a much better job at it.

Was I the only one that hoped against hope that when rumors of apple creating new earphones started flying, that someone would FINALLY fix the issue of the earphones becoming a tangled mess whenever you pull them in and out?

Using...I dunno, magic?

I still want wires....wireless earphones have been horrible/heavy/stupid looking/fall out easy. I just don't want it to tangle...

/rant

I do this. Works well, although I think it may shorten the life of the wire a little.

Music/sound quality has never been iPhone's strong point. I was vastly disappointed with my iPhone4S vs. my outgoing Droid X2 and actually carried both for a while just for a good listening experience on my Droid X2.

Considering it is a glorified iPod - I would expect it would play music pretty well. Then again, the iPods were never great at sound quality, ironically. Especially when they advertise that you could put an insane number of songs onto one of them (**numbers reflect taking your music and shredding any amount of decent quality to it in exchange for higher capacity). Way back in the day I had a Samsung Alias which came with some impressive headphones including various sizes and replacement earpieces. My girlfriend's Galaxy S3 recently came with very high quality headphones, also including multiple replacement earpieces for them. A lot of people justify buying a Lexus/BMW/Audi because they cite the luxuries and benefits of spending the extra money. I have heard iPeople stating that they buy these over-priced products because they are supposedly more luxurious, but I fail to see any of these benefits. It seems more like they're receiving base-model Kia features for High-end Mercedes prices. =/ Oh well - it's not my money.

Was I the only one that hoped against hope that when rumors of apple creating new earphones started flying, that someone would FINALLY fix the issue of the earphones becoming a tangled mess whenever you pull them in and out?

Using...I dunno, magic?

I still want wires....wireless earphones have been horrible/heavy/stupid looking/fall out easy. I just don't want it to tangle...

I'm skeptical as to the durability of the paper diaphragm, especially when being subjected to moisture while being used, but it's more likely that I don't know enough about the popularity and qualities of this material when used in earphones.

As to the EarPods themselves; I don't believe Apple's lofty claims for one second, but even if they improved the sound of the previous earphones by—pulling a number out of thin air—say 25% they should be worth it. In terms of earbuds the Apple phones aren't as bad as many people make them out to be, they've been far more neutral and precise than similarly and even higher priced models by competitors.

I ordered a pair of EarPods because my current Apple earbuds are literally falling apart, which I can't hold against them, since I got them with my iPhone 3GS shortly after the latter's initial release (when selling my iPhones I've always put the unused pair of phones into the box).

I hope the new EarPods are just as durable.

Oh and BTW, for those asking if it's even worth using good ear-/headphones with iDevices: Yes, it is worth it. I use the Apple earphones for podcasts and phone calls and music I listen to with my Westone UM3X RC.

Music/sound quality has never been iPhone's strong point. I was vastly disappointed with my iPhone4S vs. my outgoing Droid X2 and actually carried both for a while just for a good listening experience on my Droid X2.

Are you able to tell them apart using the same exact earphones and the same exact song?

AFAIK, Apple has always used the best DAC available in their devices. Their earphones, OTOH, have never sounded that good -- Klipsch and RHA do a much better job at it.

They don''t always used the best DACs... the older ones with Wolfson chips were pretty up there, but current day stuff falls short compared to many dedicated audio players out there. Go try out a Hifi man or cowon... you may be surprised.

Personally, I am getting really tired of the iFIxit guys. They remind me of the worst members of the Linux community and the FOSS people. Fanatics at best.

The only thing more stuck up than a hardware geek is an "audiophile" with all their imaginary sound "issues," and this product review seems to attract people with a foot in both camps. I doubt that any reviewer will ever admit that the speakers are "good," but people will continue to buy them anyway and they will continue to be much better than the old ones at basically the same price.

That fact alone is reason enough to doubt what iFIxit is selling. The old ones were the same price and they admit these ones are better, but then they tell us we are being "ripped off" anyway. Howsat?

I think the entire tech industry is in need of some reviewers and some bloggers who aren't a bunch of elitist tech snobs.

How is the material compared to the old Apple ear buds?Last year I felt that the ones included with the iPhone 4S were tangibly worse than the ones that came with my iPhone 4 and the 3 GS before that. Also true for the charger's cable, it is much thinner than the ones in the 2 model years before.

Don't like the 4s ear buds. They look the same as the older ones but keep slipping from my ears. Also, the thinner cable likes to twist stubbornly. The older ear buds' cable felt smoother, as did the rubber insulation. Unfortunately one of the drivers is somewhat broken so I had to use the 4s ones.

I hope that the design goal for the EarPods really was quality and not another cost saving exercise like last year's model.

Headphones on mobile phones have been stuck at a low bar for many years.

The problem with putting decent headphones into the box is that those customers who care about audio quality will assume they are rubbish and replace them - and those who don't care about audio quality, don't notice that they have a decent headphones and wouldn't care anyway.

So there is little to no point in an OEM spending $5 on a set of decent headsets verses $1 for the run of the mill ones.

It's nice to see that Apple are upping the bar on standard inbox accessories (rather than just experimenting with a couple of handsets like HTC and their beats line) even if it isn't worth buying them on their own.

Music/sound quality has never been iPhone's strong point. I was vastly disappointed with my iPhone4S vs. my outgoing Droid X2 and actually carried both for a while just for a good listening experience on my Droid X2.

Considering it is a glorified iPod - I would expect it would play music pretty well. Then again, the iPods were never great at sound quality, ironically. Especially when they advertise that you could put an insane number of songs onto one of them (**numbers reflect taking your music and shredding any amount of decent quality to it in exchange for higher capacity). Way back in the day I had a Samsung Alias which came with some impressive headphones including various sizes and replacement earpieces. My girlfriend's Galaxy S3 recently came with very high quality headphones, also including multiple replacement earpieces for them. A lot of people justify buying a Lexus/BMW/Audi because they cite the luxuries and benefits of spending the extra money. I have heard iPeople stating that they buy these over-priced products because they are supposedly more luxurious, but I fail to see any of these benefits. It seems more like they're receiving base-model Kia features for High-end Mercedes prices. =/ Oh well - it's not my money.

I'm afraid that you're both wrong:Best audio quality in businessIf you want to have the best possible audio output on your cell phone get an iPhone. The rule has always been as simple as that and the iPhone 4S is no exception to it. The new iOS smartphone did great in both the headphones off and headphones on parts of our test, achieving some pretty great scores and remaining impressively loud all the time.In the first trial (connected to an active external amplifier), the iPhone 4S performed marvelously, but that's hardly a surprise. Even less talented smartphone musicians can get good scores here, so we couldn't expected anything less than perfect from the iPod descendant.What really puts the iPhone 4S in a class of its own (not counting its predecessors, of course) is its headphones-on performance. The minor jump in stereo crosstalk is all that our lab equipment was able to detect as the resistance to the line-out port increased. The rest of the readings remained virtually unchanged, rounding up a really impressive performance.Check out the numbers and see for yourselves.http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_4s ... -665p5.php

The problem with your car analogy is that a BMW or an Audi is not only more refined both inside and outside, but it also rips any cheap Asian car to pieces on the track.

It's really hard to do proper listening tests because audio is so subjective. Some people hate a tiny hiss in the background, others say it's warmer. You can have a computer match input to output and show that they're ultra-precise, but then someone will say that they're too cold and soulless.

Audiophiles like to think that it's all a science and that there is some objective "best" you can get with unlimited amounts of money, but from what I've seen nobody agrees on what the best is.

IMHO, there is a lot less difference between cheap headphones and expensive headphones than people think.

Was I the only one that hoped against hope that when rumors of apple creating new earphones started flying, that someone would FINALLY fix the issue of the earphones becoming a tangled mess whenever you pull them in and out?

Using...I dunno, magic?

I still want wires....wireless earphones have been horrible/heavy/stupid looking/fall out easy. I just don't want it to tangle...

/rant

I do this. Works well, although I think it may shorten the life of the wire a little.

Was I the only one that hoped against hope that when rumors of apple creating new earphones started flying, that someone would FINALLY fix the issue of the earphones becoming a tangled mess whenever you pull them in and out?

Using...I dunno, magic?

I still want wires....wireless earphones have been horrible/heavy/stupid looking/fall out easy. I just don't want it to tangle...

Let's start with a completely unsupported opinion at odds with most other opinion, yet presented as if it were fact.

Jackattak wrote:

I was vastly disappointed with my iPhone4S vs. my outgoing Droid X2 and actually carried both for a while just for a good listening experience on my Droid X2.

And follow through with the payload ... "Android is better" (even though Android vs. iOS has literally nothing to do with the debate or the product in question.

I am mobile-agnostic and own a multitude of mobile devices and use them all daily so not intending to troll. People will read things based on their interpretation, which usually says far more about them than the person they're vilifying.

Apple has a history of using decent DAC's in both iphones and iPods. They used to use Wolfson, then switched to Cirrus for the more recent models. Most audio reviewers preferred the Wolfson DACs, and it's rumored that Apple will be returning to Wolfson parts for the iphone 5. Anyone who says the apple portable devices should like sh*t is talking out their ass- they may not be high-end audiophile equipment, but they've always had very low distortion and even frequency response with fairly strong amps. They're really not bad at all.

Anyway, if you want to get a good rundown on audio quality for portable devices, head over to head-fi.org's forums. There's a little bit of 'crazy-audiophile-craziness' going on there, but most people are just serious about audio and are not overboard.